the hum of trees - the cherita

1 July 2026

4 unique short form genres created by ai li
that honour storytelling and keep its breath alive

Cherita [b. 22 June 1997]
Gembun [b. 12 June 1997]
Dua [b. 4 March 2022]
Ta Da [b. 15 May 2022]

the hum of trees
cherita 112
edited by ai li

the noise
ta da anthos 2
edited by ai li

once then twice
dua anthos 19
edited by ai li

updates on all forthcoming dua, gembun and ta da anthologies
and our exciting the cherita award

For those of you who missed reading ai li’s essay i, storyteller on Cherita, Gembun and Dua on Rhyvers and viewing her You Tube Cherita video interview for The Wise Owl by Neena Singh, for their special issue on Cherita, here are both links again below.

Here are ai li’s You Tube interview link : www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnGmkKKQvqo
and the link for her essay i, storyteller on Cherita, Gembun and Dua
rhyvers.com/hk22/

The full transcripts for both can be found on www.thecherita.com/lectures/ as well on the Rhyvers and The Wise Owl’s websites.

There are now over 7000 views for my Rhyvers essay on Cherita, Gembun and Dua, which appeared on 16 September 2023, with 4500 views the last time I looked, for my You Tube video Cherita interview, which appeared on 30 September 2023, and which The Wise Owl’s Editor Rachna Singh called ‘insightful’.

I have 3 paperbacks and 3 kindles for your July reading – the hum of trees, Book 112 of the cherita, along with the noise, ta da anthology 2, and once then twice, dua anthology 19.

There are now 112 anthologies of the cherita, along with 22 Gembun Anthologies,19 Dua Anthologies, and two Ta Da anthologies, with more coming your way. All these anthologies are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.

the hum of trees is our Book 112 in the cherita series of storytelling books, with 90 virgin cherita of more timeless stories to hopefully inspire our readers and poets to join our caravanserai of storytellers.

the hum of trees showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, Iran, Japan, Italy, India and Croatia.

the hum of trees, Book 112, belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, as do ai li’s personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 36 virgin Cherita, Gembun, Dua, Ta Da, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly ai li’s poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these books are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.

Two of my own books of virgin Gembun, the weight of rain and blank screen, my two books of Dua, the journey east and dancing shoes, and arriving nowhere, my first cherita, gembun and dua book, along with another night and leaving, my two ta da anthologies now join my writing in one breath series.t

I have edited the hum of trees as I have all the other anthologies of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal,

cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.

Featured Poets as they appear in this anthology :-

ai li/ Larry Kimmel/ Pegah Rahmati Nezhad/ Taura Scott/ Roy Kindelberger/ Lakshman Bulusu/ Jackie Chou/ Kathabela Wilson/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Joanna Ashwell/ Kazuaki Wakui/ Teri Messmer/ Peter Jastermsky/ Patricia Allen Smith/ Nicholas Gentile/ Leon Tefft/ Penny Lowery/ Lee Hudspeth/ Stephanie Zepherelli/ Timothy Daly/ Diane Funston/ Partha Sarkar/ Jim Niffen/ Katharine E Winnick/ Ceri Marriott/ Amir Kapetanović/ Gene Schultz/

Six sample virgin Cherita from this anthology :-

truly
touching
my heart

fallen
petals

poetry

Pegah Rahmati Nezhad

swallows dive and dart

across the shallow
mountain lake

dragonflies
join in flitting
from reed to reed

Roy Kindelberger

all night long
i swim
on the edge of sleep

surfacing

only to
remember his kiss

Teri Messmer

a whisper

just the wind
dear

reminding me
that
love has gone

ai li

riding
home
in a

dead truck

another
deer

Stephanie Zepherelli

snow

just
the taste

silvering
my
tongue

Joanna Ashwell

the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this anthology for their timeless Cherita :

Joanna Ashwell/ Penny Lowery/ Lakshman Bulusu/ Jackie Chou/ Lee Hudspeth/ Stephanie Zepherelli/ Jim Niffen/ Partha Sarkar/

the noise is our ta da Anthology 2, which appears alongside the hum of trees, Book 112 of the cherita, and once then twice, our dua anthology 19.

the noise showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, Germany, India, Canada, Japan and Italy.

Featured Poets as they appear in this anthology :-

ai li/ Barbara Anna Gaiardoni/ Larry Kimmel/ Kathabela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Sharon Hawley/ James Haddad/ Lakshman Bulusu/ Dan Schwerin/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Jackie Chou/ Jan Stretch/ Gene Schultz/ Radhamani Sarma/ Paulette Calasibetta/ Roy Kindelberger/ Joanna Ashwell/ Pitt Büerken/ Keitha Keyes/ Patricia Allen Smith/

Six sample ta da from the noise, our ta da Anthology 2 :-

love on
a rooftop

over and
over again

Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

muddy shores
no walking off

the dirt I have
on me

Dan Schwerin

just a little day
a crack

in the sidewalk
shaped like a heart

Kathabela Wilson

sunrise
to sunset

hydrangeas
bloom

Lakshman Bulusu

sitar music
from the ramparts

her beaded sari
yesterday’s ghost

ai li

a
purple sky

he sings
me home

Taura Scott

a fan fare has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this anthology for timeless ta da :

Larry Kimmel/ Dan Schwerin/ Taura Scott/ Kathabela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/

once then twice is our dua anthology 19 which appears alongside the hum of trees, Book 112 of the cherita, and the noise, ta da anthology 2.

once then twice showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, Germany, India, Canada, Japan and Italy.

Featured Poets as they appear in this anthology :-

Kathabela Wilson/ ai li/ Pitt Büerken/ Michael H. Brownstein/ Bryan Rickert/ Jackie Chou/ Lee Hudspeth/ S.Radhamani/ Partha Sarkar/ Joanna Ashwell/ nivy/ Jan Stretch/ Andrew Jones/ Daniel W. Brown/ Kazuaki Wakui/ Taura Scott/ Gene Schultz/ Timothy Daly/ Katherine E Winnick/ Sharon Hawley/ Norma Bradley/ Lakshman Bulusu/ Sigrid Saradunn/

Six sample dua from once then twice, our dua anthology 19 :-

his new flame

looks like the previous

Pitt Büerken

everyday humans forget

that they are alive

Partha Sarkar

the past changes nothing

my path belongs to now

Timothy Daly

between long dark branches

remembering green

Kathabela Wilson

love wandering

back to the heart

Joanna Ashwell

without one

no other

Jan Stretch

a dua bella has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this anthology for their timeless dua :

Jan Stretch/ nivy/ Partha Sarkar/ Kathabela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Pitt Büerken/

Please use our standard submission emails for all 4 of our genres as I consider them separately. Failure to do so can cause a delay in replying to your submissions.

I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and of any other new books from either our 1-2-3 press or our the empty press, and hope that you will find the poems within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.

If our new book or books strikes or strike a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give feedback directly to me. It would be much appreciated. Many thanks.

ai li
editor

creator of cherita, gembun, dua and ta da
and of 18 other unique and original linked forms

www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis